Who Is This Hillary Person? And Why Does She Keep Coming At Us?

Hillary, Fighter

Who is this Hillary person? And why does she keep coming at us?

The answer is Hillary really, really, really wants to be our Vice President. That is why she is so very relentless. Think about it. If she had lost New Hampshire, she would have been out before January was over. And then we Obama people would have been asking, so who do we want on the ticket? Edwards, the fighter? Spitzer, the fighter? Or Hillary the fighter? Fighter because she did start the Iraq War, did she not?

But Hillary would not have none of that. She was not about to get on Obama's short list of candidates. She wanted to be the only person on the list. And she dug hard and fought hard.

I am at a point now when I am beginning to think Hillary might be the one. Through January and February and now going into March, I have really had a chance to take a very close look at her. And so I am no longer wondering if someone else might look good on the ticket. The primary contests have served their purpose.

Who Is This Bill Clinton Guy? And Why Will He Not Go Away? On A Vacation?

Bill Clinton will be around on the political scene for a few more decades in various capacities, and I will not have it any other way. But I would like it if this guy went to the Bahamas for the next few months. I would be happy to organize a fundraiser to that effect if he were to express interest. He can call up his wife as much he wants from there. It is not like he does not get to talk politics.

Bill Clinton has been more of a nuisance than is becoming someone of his age, maturity and world renown. Instead of acting the elderly statesman, he has really gone down and dirty this campaign season, has he not?

Hillary Is A Good Looking Woman

It will be great to have her much on TV, which is where she will be as Vice President.

We Won Nevada, We Won Texas

This nomination fight is a race for delegates and we won both states.

Going Negative Worked For Clinton 08

It was the same playbook in New Hampshire. It was the same in Ohio. They dug up Rezko this time.

All attacks have to be answered. You don't have to get mean, you don't have to engage in the politics of personal destruction, but you do have to answer all attacks, especially the negative ones. Obama 08 missed out on this basic lesson in New Hampshire and again for March 4.

When You Get Hit, You Hit Back

The new kind of politics changes how you hit back, but it does not change that you do hit back.

NAFTA: We Did Not Handle It Well

Even people in Ohio who have suffered from the loss of manufacturing jobs realize the old days are not coming back. There is no going back. How better to manage the transition when the economy necessarily morphs? How to better handle retraining?

This is a really tough one. The suffering is real. The changes are inevitable. But the solutions, hard and elusive they might be, but they are all forward looking.

Takes Two Arms And Two Legs To Swim

Poor Rapid Response Mechanism

Obama 08 top campaign people are going to have to plug this hole, or the Clinton boys are going to keep going negative, and those negative attacks are going to keep working for them.

If Obama 08 does not plug this big, gaping hole, we might as well lose. Our guy ends up Vice President. What we need is a war room, a rapid response mechanism. Let no attack go unanswered.

In The News

Advisers for Clinton Plan the Endgame New York Times ground game, advertising budgets and a confidence-brimming outreach strategy ...... with her victories in Texas and Ohio last night, she can convince superdelegates to stand with her after a Pennsylvania victory. ...... Pennsylvania, which has 188 delegates at stake, could set up a powerful one-two punch two weeks later in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, which have a combined 218 delegates ...... the final contest on June 7 in Puerto Rico, where 63 delegates will be at stake. ..... the Clinton campaign’s chief objective was not to sully Mr. Obama’s image or record, but to cast a spotlight on lightly examined or unknown aspects of both.

Clinton Sees New Race; Obama Talks Tough The Associated Press Obama blamed negative attacks by the former first lady for his defeats and quickly made good on a promise to sharpen his criticism of her. ...... Obama gained endorsements from superdelegates in Georgia, Vermont, Ohio, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. ...... talk of arranging for makeup primaries or caucuses in Michigan and Florida ...... Obama, on a long flight home to Chicago from Texas, told reporters he believed criticism like that helped send him to defeat.
Obama camp claims TX delegate victory MSNBC there are 611 delegates left to win in the Democratic race, and Clinton needs to win 60% of them to erase Obama's lead ..... Obama's campaign has less support in Pennsylvania than Clinton and more ground to make up.

Hillary discusses Clinton-Obama ticket for election Newsday, USA Clinton's victories yesterday "barely" put a "dent" in his lead. .... voters who made up their minds in the last three days voted overwhelmingly for her.

March 4 Returns Parties

Central Park

It was nice and quiet.

Tonic

A no go. Street level welcome by a black man in black. 7:15. "The event has not started yet." The website said it started at 7:00. Next time they are going to have someone at the train station to tell me there is no event.

There is not going to be a next time.

After I win the Nobel Peace Prize (Madhesi Movement Victory In Nepal), DL21C should not bother trying to get me as a guest speaker. I would not be interested. I mean, how many Nobel Peace Prize winners are there in this town? I don't know of any.

People who run these four organizations who don't recognize email make you feel like you are their corporate employees when you show up for their events. Some of the time.

I don't know anyone else who shows up for these events who does cutting edge political work.

Pressure, Union Square

This was the Generation Barack Obama event. The place was huge and packed. Jeremy Goldberg runs the show. Phil was there. Two huge spreads of space. Nice choice. I talked to many people. Just basic small talk. What's your name? How long have you been coming to Obama events? Met two recent Brown graduate women, one Puerto Rican, another ethnic Chinese.

Lamont Carolina

Sylvan had mentioned. But Lamont said let's go to the party at Irish Rogue. ObamaNYC had a party going on there. Lamont and his two friends Hose and Ken, we all hopped into Lamont's car.

Lamont said in a celebratory tone, "There are four minorities in the car."

This dude totally knows how to work the crowd.

Just when we needed parking, a car pulled out and made space just in time. Lamont described it as "New York love."

Jeff Kurzon

He is back in town. He is one of those early Obama supporters in town. He took a six month leave of absence for Obama. He works at a fancy law firm. He started in New Hampshire, his home state, and then went state hopping with the campaign. He was in California, at one point. It was good to see him after so long.

Kurzo was in a competitive mood. Which party is bigger? GBO or ObamaNYC? He said he got told the GBO party had a thousand RSVPs.

Back At Pressure

After a while I was back at the GBO party. Hillary took Rhode Island, Barack took Vermont, that was early in the evening. Hillary had been projected winner in Ohio. The two were neck and neck in Texas, that is when I left. I went home.

All The Way

This race is going to Pennsylvania and beyond. The Clintons call it never, never, never give up. We are going to make use of our money advantage.

Got To Hit Back

Obama 08 needs a rapid response mechanism.

Wet Clay Group Dynamics

Group dynamics is my thing. I have always been good at it. It is just that these past few years I have taken that to the 2.0 environment. Now when I am trying to get back into 5.0, I feel like I should do the wet clay thing. Most people take pride in being baked clay. They are set in their ways.

I want to start afresh. I want to challenge assumptions. I want to experiment. I want to participate. I want to have fun. I want to shape and be shaped.

Raise Money, Burn Money

Round one money got raised. Now it is all about burning it. That is another kind of pressure.

On Your Own

On your own, what do you think? How do you feel?

In The News

Ohio win boosts Clinton Los Angeles Times
Clinton gets must win in Ohio Boston Globe
News Coverage Changes, and So Does Tone of the Campaign New York Times
Clinton Wins Ohio, Rhode Island Contests; Obama Takes Vermont Bloomberg
Clinton barbs begin to take toll on Obama Newsday But a bit of unexpected "turbulence," as Obama himself termed it earlier Tuesday, has hit his campaign. In recent days, he has had a tougher time deflecting Clinton's attacks on his commitment to fighting al-Qaida in Afghanistan, his sincerity in criticizing the North American Free Trade Agreement and his ties to a Chicago real estate developer on trial for fraud. ...... he could still deal a potentially lethal blow by taking jumbo-sized Texas, where initial returns give him a slight lead ..... Early exit polls for Texas showed heavy turnout in African-American and urban areas and lower turnout in Latino districts ..... contests later this month in Wyoming and Mississippi and possibly to Pennsylvania

Clinton hits Obama on experience; he fires back Chicago Tribune
Clinton calls Ohio and Texas must-wins Washington Times
Clinton Focuses on Boosting Turnout The Associated Press
Clinton and Obama Intensify Attacks New York Times Providence, he briefly addressed a crowd of several thousand people who had waited for hours in the cold rain and mud but were turned away. He then spoke for nearly an hour to about 5,000 more people at the rally inside.
Obama Walks a Difficult Path as He Courts Jewish Voters the tenuous relations between blacks and Jews ..... the penetration of the viral e-mail messages, which were background static in the campaign until they began flooding the inboxes of Jewish voters right before nominating contests. ...... Mrs. Clinton took the Jewish vote by 2 to 1 on her home turf, New York, and also in New Jersey ..... remark of his, made last year in Des Moines, that “no one has suffered more than the Palestinians.” ..... Israel, the only stable democracy in the Middle East
Barnstorming Obama plans to pick Republicans Times Online
McCain blasts Obama's and Clinton's attacks on NAFTA Los Angeles Times
Ohio voters blame NAFTA for job loss but skeptical of campaign ... The Canadian Press

Bill Clinton: The Bitter Half Time Bill Clinton after a quadruple bypass has given up jogging in favor of long walks ..... how much of the blame for her predicament belongs to him. "I think he just did her such damage," says a friend and supporter, expressing a sentiment that many feel privately. "They'll never see it that way, because they can't. And he has no self-knowledge. This has magnified all his worst traits." ......... The biggest fear was that he would shine too bright, burn too hot, consign the candidate to his shadow. ...... a lack of self-control and an excess of self-absorption. It hasn't always been clear whether Bill Clinton sees Obama as a threat to his wife's prospects, or to his own legacy. ....... Liberal columnist Jonathan Chait wondered, "Were the conservatives right about Bill Clinton all along?" ...... Bill "hijacked the candidacy in South Carolina. It was appalling to watch it." ...... the person who seemed least aware of the havoc he was causing was Bill Clinton ....... "political malpractice" by Hillary's campaign ...... spent money with abandon in the earliest primaries and assumed that the race would not last past Super Tuesday, on Feb. 5 — and failed to prepare for any of the states that followed ...... what's really wrong with Hillary's campaign is something that is simply beyond even Bill Clinton's ability to fix. "It may be," says a friend, "their day has passed."
Dee Dee Myers: Why Women Should Rule Dee Dee Myers thinks motherhood should count as diplomacy experience. ..... confronting Leon Panetta on her pay, why she won't endorse Hillary Clinton, and whether or not women rule her own household. ...... bringing more women into all avenues of public life ...... more women in Congress, legislature, business, diplomacy, at every level of public life ....... what makes government work better, what makes business more efficient. ....... it's still more difficult for women to be taken seriously ........ Hillary has had to prove she was tough enough to be Commander in Chief. That's one reason her campaign made her 30 years of experience its foundation. Then again, if you're too tough, then people think you're too hard, you're not feminine enough. The B word comes up. It's a whole other set of obstacles. There's still a double standard. ........ Maybe we thought we were further along. You can still say some things about women that are pretty shocking, and there's no penalty for saying it. ........ I am endlessly fascinated that playing football is considered a training ground for leadership, but raising children isn't. ...... Trying to negotiate getting a couple of kids to watch the same TV show requires serious diplomacy. ...... you were stiffed when it came to proper pay, authority and even the press secretary's rightful office ...... Leon Panetta told you you didn't deserve what a male colleague of lower rank made because you weren't a man supporting a family ........ Bill Clinton was under pressure to appoint women to visible positions. I was 31, I'd never worked in Washington. ....... women are paid less. Women don't ask. ...... men were seven times more likely to negotiate a starting salary than women are. There are all kinds of reasons [for unequal pay]; there's residual discrimination ....... When I was in college 25 years ago, I thought that by the time I reached this elderly station in my life, these problems would be solved. Well, they're not. ....... men are more violent. Men have a greater propensity for violence. ...... George W. Bush similarly, for appointing more women to senior and cabinet-level jobs than any of his predecessors ......... a confidence gap between men and women that begins very young ...... Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths ....... . The woman said, Gosh, I was so surprised. The young man said, I knew my project was great — I always knew I'd win. One thinks he deserves to win; the other is surprised.
A Clash of Styles in Ohio Debate another cordial, high-road finish. ..... Obama, taking advantage of his front-runner status, played good, error-free baseball ...... used his time to rise above the arguments, elevate the conversation and invoke the larger causes ...... Obama showed a lawyer's flair for conceding the small points that aren't worth arguing about ..... asked whether there was much of a semantic difference between the words "reject" and "denounce," but then defused the situation by ceding the point to Clinton and agreeing to do both. ..... At the end, each candidate threw a bouquet at the other
Obama's Ohio Grassroots Advantage She used Obama's website to recruit volunteers and run a phone bank from her living room. ........ — and all but locking up the Democratic nomination .... [Obama's] is the most spontaneous, energetic political operation that I've ever seen ...... the benefits of having a candidate who used to be a community organizer and has run a voter registration drive. ...... a new breed of grassroots campaign — viral, internet-based, built from the ground up by neophytes ...... Obama's surging grassroots success has stolen Clinton's establishment base right out from under her ..... Obama's has a lot more volunteers, and they're all grassroots people from the neighborhood
As Ohio Goes "we've gone from 57 foreclosures 10 years ago to more than 500 last year." ...... the slow-motion depreciation of the American middle class has reached critical mass, and not just in Ohio and Michigan ...... "You wonder why there can't be some middle ground" between the old-fashioned, inflexible unions and "the ceos selling out these companies, shipping jobs overseas." ...... the false nonchoices of "victory" or "surrender."

Clinton, Obama go down to the wire in Texas, Ohio AFP The rivals set off on a frenzied weekend hop-scotch between two states blanketed by no-holds-barred television advertising blitzes ..... new polls showed a virtual tie in the two states, leaving Tuesday's contests as unpredictable as any in the roller-coaster 2008 election. ...... She was due in economically depressed Ohio, for a cross-state trek Sunday. ...... "Real change isn't voting for George Bush's war in Iraq and then telling the American people it was actually a vote for more diplomacy when you start running for president" ...... "The title of the bill was 'A Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq.' What else were you voting for?" ....... Obama leading Clinton 45 percent to 43 percent in Texas. A previous poll by Zogby released Friday had Obama up 48 to 42 percent. ...... In Ohio, the Democratic contenders were tied at 45 percent, according to Saturday's poll. ..... Obama was dismissive of her gambit. "The question is, what kind of judgment will you exercise when you pick up that phone? In fact, we have had a red phone moment. It was the decision to invade Iraq."
Clinton employs famous Mondale ad strategy Boston Globe Trying to alter the dynamics of a primary race she is losing ..... "We've had a 'red phone' moment. It was the decision to invade Iraq. And Senator Clinton gave the wrong answer. George Bush gave the wrong answer. John McCain gave the wrong answer." ..... Within hours, Obama's campaign launched a television ad directly rebutting Clinton's spot. .... "In a dangerous world, it's judgment that matters." .... "It was a tough call and the single greatest national security question, and mistake, of our time." .... 370 delegates are up for grabs in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont. .... Obama had a 48 percent-to-42 percent edge in Texas and was virtually tied with Clinton in Ohio. ..... may well bring calls for her to drop out and endorse Obama for the good of the party.

For Obama, a Taste of What a Long Battle Holds New York Times he is sure to face an onslaught from Republicans and their allies that will be very different in tone and intensity from what he has faced so far. ...... as the party adapts to the prospect that it will be running against Mr. Obama rather than Mrs. Clinton. ...... portray him as out of step with the nation’s values, challenge his appeal to independent voters and emphasize his lack of experience in foreign policy and national security. ...... taxes, spending, judges, health care and national security — there is a divide as deep and wide on those issues as the Grand Canyon ...... used against a candidate who is trying to cultivate an appeal that transcends policy specifics, would fall flat this time
Nepal Strike Ends as Government Accepts Madhesi Autonomy Demand Bloomberg At least five people were killed during the protests in Terai ..... More than 13,000 people were killed in the civil war, which damaged the tourism-dependent economy.
Kenya to build coalition government Boston Globe
Obama and Clinton Flush With Cash From February New York Times each had a record-breaking month of fund-raising in February, bringing in more than $80 million combined, but with Mr. Obama again far outraising Mrs. Clinton. ......... $50 million ..... on many days the campaign took in as much as $2 million. ..... $35 million ..... in January, when Mr. Obama brought in $36 million and Mrs. Clinton raised just under $14 million. ..... In Ohio, Mr. Obama had spent $2.4 million, Mrs. Clinton $1.3 million. ..... On the campaign trail, Mr. Obama, of Illinois, is starting to focus less on the Democratic primaries and more on the general election. In recent days, he has spent more time skirmishing with Mr. McCain than with Mrs. Clinton.
Obama's Fate in Texas Wall Street Journal Stewart and the first dozen paid Obama staffers touched down in this capital city less than three weeks ago. ...... Few experts expected the showdown between Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton to climax here. Texas is a deeply Republican state, and hasn't played a deciding role in a Democratic nominating contest in 20 years. ..... Bill Clinton has said that his wife needs to take both states to stay alive in the nominating race ...... Davis started a blog, TexansForObama.com ..... gives campaign volunteers unsupervised access to names and phones numbers of potential supporters nationwide, which campaigns usually treat as proprietary information. ...... the system was responsible for 250,000 calls in a single day to California voters ...... "turns the asylum over to the inmates."
Obama Gains With Superdelegates Wall Street Journal Clinton hasn't picked up the support of any superdelegates recently, while Sen. Obama has gained more than two dozen since the voting ended Feb. 19 in Wisconsin ...... Obama's gain represents more delegates than are at stake Tuesday in Vermont or Rhode Island. ....... There are 795 superdelegates at stake and about 550 have declared so far. ...... "The superdelegates are paying more attention to voting in the primaries because of the record turnouts" ..... we haven't seen any mass movement...I expect that we'll likely see that next week after Tuesday. ..... Clinton would have to win close to 60% of the 927 pledged delegates left to be awarded. ..... Bill Richardson of New Mexico said he could endorse any day
McCain vs. Obama Over Al Qaeda FOXNews
Barack Obama hits back after Hussein taunts Times Online Matt Drudge, the website’s owner, said that the photograph was leaked by the Hillary Clinton campaign. The former First Lady said in a debate on Tuesday night that as far as she knew it did not come from her campaign. ..... Obama denounced, and eventually rejected, Mr Farrakhan’s support ...... “If anyone is still puzzled about the facts, I have never been a Muslim.” ...... Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, said that he would not launch a presidential bid as an independent.
Clinton lawsuit could muddy Texas caucuses Kansas City Star
The obstacles facing Clinton Boston Globe a candidate has to be on the attack, something that voters often find offputting, and which is even trickier for a woman. ..... NAFTA is a fundamental part of her husband's legacy
Democrats compete to outbash NAFTA Boston Globe
Clinton racks up cash record as Bloomberg rules out run AFP "I am not -- and will not be -- a candidate for president," Bloomberg, 66, wrote in The New York Times. ..... said he stood ready to back the presidential candidate who can offer independent leadership to heal the nation's political wounds ..... the Obama juggernaut, which on Wednesday touted its one millionth donor so far. ..... McCain for one is already anticipating a White House match-up with Obama
Why I’m Afraid of the Clintons New York Times
Nepal reaches historic accord with Madhesis Hindustan Times

Obama calls for a cool-down Los Angeles Times, USA "Certainly I don't think that photograph was circulated to enhance my candidacy. ...... Cleveland, where the biggest storm of the winter is forecast to dump 8 inches of snow on the city. ...... Obama smiled when Dodd quipped that he himself had campaigned on his years of experience, to poor results. ...... he feared that if the campaign grew uglier, it could undermine Democratic hopes in the fall. "It's now the hour to come together," he said, "... to get behind this campaign." ...... former Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White, who had earlier backed Clinton, also endorsed Obama.